Dossier: Operation Reka 1 October 2015 Dossier Operation Reka 2 Dossier Operation Reka Contents Abbreviations.............................................................................................................................................................................5 I. Summary.....................................................................................................................................................................................7 II. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................................................9 III. MILITARY-POLICE OPERATION REKA....................................................................................................................10 IV. CRIMES AGAINT CIVILIANS COMMITTED IN THE COURSE OF OPERATION REKA...................................................................................................................................13 1. Killings of civilians..........................................................................................................................................................14 1.1. Dobrosh/Dobroš and Ramoc............................................................................................................................14 a. Statements of survivors and forensic evidence........................................................................................14 b. Military documents and testimonies of VJ members...........................................................................15 1.2. Korenicë/Korenica..............................................................................................................................................15 a. Survivors’ statements and forensic evidence...........................................................................................16 b. Military and police documents and testimonies of VJ members........................................................18 1.3. Mejë/Meja...............................................................................................................................................................21 a. Witness statements and forensic evidence...............................................................................................21 b. Testimonies of VJ and MUP members and military documents.........................................................23 c. Execution of the men.....................................................................................................................................24 2. Deportation.....................................................................................................................................................................25 V. VJ AND MUP UNITS INVOLVED IN OPERATION REKA..................................................................................28 1. 549th Motorised Brigade of the VJ..............................................................................................................................29 2. 63rd Parachute Brigade of the VJ................................................................................................................................31 3. 52nd Artillery Rocket Brigade of the VJ......................................................................................................................32 4. 52nd Military Police Battalion.....................................................................................................................................34 5. 125th Motorized Brigade of the VJ..............................................................................................................................35 6. 113th Military Territorial Detachment......................................................................................................................36 7. Special Police Units........................................................................................................................................................38 3 8. Ministry of the Interior Secretariat (SUP) in Gjakovë/Đakovica........................................................................39 9. Other units......................................................................................................................................................................42 9.1. Special Operations Unit......................................................................................................................................42 9.2. Serb Volunteer Guard – Arkan’s Tigers...........................................................................................................43 9.3. White Eagles..........................................................................................................................................................44 9.4. Brigade from Republika Srpska..........................................................................................................................44 VI. CHAIN OF COMMAND.................................................................................................................................................45 i. The role of Momir Stojanović........................................................................................................................46 a. Stojanović’s responsibilities.........................................................................................................................47 b. Stojanović’s role in Operation Reka...........................................................................................................48 b.1. Support to the attacks directed against civilians in the Reka e Keq/Reka Valley.........................48 b.2. The 52nd Military Police Battalion was directly subordinate to Stojanović.................................49 b.3. Failure to conduct investigation and covering up of the crimes....................................................49 c. Short biography...............................................................................................................................................50 VII. THE ACTIONS OF STATE ORGANS AFTER THE CRIME....................................................................................51 1. 1. Concealment of the bodies....................................................................................................................................52 1.1. Primary graves in Kosovo....................................................................................................................................52 1.2. Disinterment of bodies from primary graves................................................................................................53 1.3. Transport of bodies to Serbia...........................................................................................................................54 1.4. Discovery of the mass grave at Batajnica and exhumations....................................................................56 1.5. Exhumation of bodies and establishing causes of death.............................................................................57 1.5.1. Autopsy findings........................................................................................................................................57 2. Crime that has gone uninvestigated........................................................................................................................58 2.1. Response of the civil authorities......................................................................................................................58 2.2. Activities of the VJ................................................................................................................................................60 Appendices........................................................................................................................................61 Dossier Operation Reka 4 Dossier Operation Reka Abbreviations 125th MtBr VJ 125th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army 52nd ArBr VJ 52nd Artillery Rocket Brigade of the Yugoslav Army 549th MtBr VJ 549th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army ex. no. Exhibit number (number designated for the exhibits presented before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia) Đorđević The case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia IT-05-87/1-T, the Prosecutor vs. Vlastimir Đorđević EULEX European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo HLC Humanitarian Law Center INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization Milošević The case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia IT-02-54, the Prosecutor vs. Slobodan Milošević ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross ICTY International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia MO Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia MUP Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization KLA Kosovo Liberation Army 5 OMPF EULEX Office of Missing Persons and Forensics PJP Special Police Units of the MUP PrC Priština Corps of the Yugoslav Army RDB State Security Department of the MUP RJB Public Security Department of the MUP SAJ Special Antiterrorist Unit FRY Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbian forces Yugoslav Army and the Ministry of the Interior SUP Secretariat of internal affairs of the MUP Šainović et al. The case before the International Criminal Tribunal